Daniella's Misadventures in Chuggington
by SynthaRoboto
Summary: The foul-mouthed sister of Diesel 10 somehow finds her way to Chuggington and can't seem to find her way back home. M for swearing...LOTS of swearing...
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

 **This story involves my Thomas the Tank Engine OC, Daniella (debuted in Don't Fear the Reaper) and her adventures and influence on Chuggington after she somehow got lost and found her way there. As of now, I don't know how long this story will go on, or what exactly will happen. However, please don't take it too seriously. It is merely a fanfic, and one that's based on some silly ideas that have been batted around between me and a few friends.**

She didn't know where she was, or how she got there. All she knew was that she was lost in a sickly saccharine place that made absolutely no sense to her.

Daniella grumbled in annoyance as she carefully rounded another sharp bend. Though the tracks were the right gauge for her wheels, everything was laid out as if for engines far smaller and more agile than herself. As she got her rear bogie safely onto straighter track, a loud _DING-DONG!_ Interrupted her thoughts.

"Attention newcomer! We weren't expecting any visitors today. Who and what are you?"

Looking to her side, Daniella saw the source of the voice she had just heard. "What the hell…" she breathed, looking at the _talking signal post_ in front of her.

"I'm sorry, I'm afraid I didn't hear you. Speak up, please." The odd-looking signal post spoke again, all while moving on its own volition.

"Name's Daniella. What in the world are YOU? 'Scuze me, but I've never seen a talking signal post before!" Daniella replied.

"I'm Vee," the signal post replied. However, as she began explaining what she was and her purpose, Daniella had slinked off while muttering "I am _really_ lost!"

Figuring that she would find her own way out of there if she kept at it, Daniella continued to navigate the odd railway. This strange place unnerved her, as it was completely alien to her. Far too colorful and cheery for her liking, and everything seemed so bright and _cutesy._ Indeed, it was all very off putting to the seasoned scrapper.

What Daniella had not yet noticed was the fact that to the resident chuggers, she looked like a massive, frightening monster. No one in Chuggington had ever seen anything like her.

Wilson, Koko and Brewster were playing tag when they saw her. The big, black engine with a massive, sharp claw attachment was slowly passing by, catching their attention.

"W-W-What's that?!" Brewster said, trembling.

Daniella looked in their direction, her one red eye focusing on the three of them. For a tense moment, they exchanged glances. Then, Daniella spoke: "Can someone tell me where the fuck I am? I'm lost."

"This is Chuggington," Koko squeaked nervously. "I…see you're not from around here."

"Obviously!" both Wilson and Daniella muttered. There was yet another awkward moment of silence, then Daniella smiled. These strange engines were rather cute, she thought.

"I think she's friendly," Wilson said to his friends.

"It's ok guys, you can come out," said Koko.

Out from the sidings came Zephie, Hoot and Toot. All three stared in wonder at the strange newcomer.

"I'm not so sure, guys…" Brewster said nervously.

"It's not nice to judge someone because of how they look, Brewster," said Zephie.

"I know that—but she looks dangerous!" said Brewster.

Hoot and Toot, however, were anything but shy, and both started bombarding Daniella with questions.

"Whoa, whoa, one at a fuckin' time!" Daniella exclaimed.

"Fuckin'?" Hoot repeated.

"Aw fuck," Daniella muttered, realizing that she'd just said the F word in front of a group of youngsters.

"I've never heard that word before," said Toot.

"I wonder what it means," said Hoot.

"Hey miss, what does fuck mean—where'd she go?" Toot asked, but Daniella had quickly moved away from them.

"I wanna know what fuck means," Hoot whined.

"I know, let's ask Chatsworth!" said Toot.

"Great idea!" Hoot replied, and the two darted off.

"I'm gonna go find that new chugger, wanna come with?" said Koko.

"Sure thing!" Wilson replied enthusiastically.

"I dunno…I think I'm gonna go help Eddie and Hodge…" Brewster said, feeling quite unnerved.

Lori was taking her break when Hoot and Toot pulled up, looking very excited.

"Lori! Lori, guess what!" Toot exclaimed.

"We learned a new word!" Hoot added.

"We don't know what it means though," said Toot.

"FUCK!" they both shouted.

Lori dropped the sandwich she was eating as the twins darted off. "Morgan-!" she shouted.

Chatsworth was napping peacefully when Hoot and Toot rudely woke him up.

"Chatsworth, what does fuck mean?" said Hoot.

"How rude!" Chatsworth exclaimed. "Where did you hear that word?!"

"That weird chugger over there," said Hoot.

"Hey, there she is!" Toot said.

"Aw fuck, not those two," Daniella muttered as she took off around a bend.

"Hoot and Toot! I don't know who or what that is, but you shouldn't be repeating those rude words she said!" Chatsworth said sternly.

Hoot and Toot weren't the only ones who had learned some rather off-color words from Daniella. Wilson was in the middle of one of his lessons when he accidentally bumped into some cars. "Dammit!" he exclaimed.

"Wilson! What did you just say?!" Dunbar exclaimed.

"I said 'dammit'. That new chugger says it instead of 'bumpers'," Wilson replied.

"New chugger…?" Dunbar said, puzzled.

"Yeah, she's a lot different than us, and she talks differently too. She says 'dammit' instead of 'bumpers' and instead of big, BIG bumpers' she says, 'goddamn fucking shit'." Said Wilson.

Dunbar gasped. "Wilson! I don't want you saying those words!" he said.

"Awww why not?" Wilson said, pouting.

"Those are bad words!" Dunbar spluttered.

Brewster was waiting by a signal when Koko approached him. "Oh Brewster! It's your turn to pull the shit cars!" she said.

"The _what_ cars?" Brewster asked, bewildered.

"The shit cars!" Koko said, giggling. "You know, the manure cars! Shit means poo, and manure is poo!"

"Oh, great…" Brewster said sarcastically.

Koko rolled off, singing to herself, "shit shit shit, shit shit shit!"

"Koko!" Vee exclaimed, "Where in the world did you hear that word?!"

"That new chugger said it, and she said it means poo," Koko said, giggling. "It's fun to say, shit!"

"Koko go straight to the Chug Wash and have your filthy mouth washed out! And if you see that strange chugger again, tell her to do the same!" Vee said, irritated.

Brewster groaned. "I _knew_ that one was nothing but trouble!" he said, and went to do his jobs. All that day, he became increasingly unnerved. He didn't want to admit it to anyone, but the strange newcomer scared him. That night, as everyone was settling down in their sheds, Brewster nervously waited for Wilson to return. Koko was already in her shed as she had been grounded after having her mouth washed out five times for saying "shit", "fuck", "bitch", "cunt", and "piss" respectively.

In the shed next door, Hoot and Toot were bickering with each other, while using some very rough language which they had picked up from the foreign scrapper.

"You got me in trouble, dammit!" Toot griped.

"No, I didn't! You're a dumbass!" said Hoot.

"Hey! I'm not a dumbass you shithead!" Toot retorted.

"Fuck-face!" Hoot shot back.

"Asshole!" said Toot.

"Ass—um—cocker!" Hoot said, and the two of them burst into giggle fits.

Brewster whimpered as Wilson backed into his shed.

"What's the matter, Brewster?" Wilson said, noticing his friend's unusually nervous attitude.

"I'm not sure I like all these bad words…" Brewster murmured.

"Dickhead!" Toot exclaimed, and the twins erupted into laughter. Brewster backed all the way into his shed and shut the door.

"Well…goodnight Brewster," said Wilson.


	2. Chapter 2

Morning had arrived and Vee had called everyone to a meeting. "Attention Chuggers! I'm sure you are all aware by now of a very foul-mouthed stranger who's been wandering our railway," she said.

"Do you mean the one who's turned Chuggington into Cussington?" Harrison said with disgust.

"Yes, Harrison, _that_ one," Vee replied. "Now, this newcomer is apparently lost, and I'd like to find out where she's from. She doesn't seem to be aggressive or dangerous, so there's no threat to our safety as far as I know. However, if you hear her use any words that you aren't familiar with, I strongly urge you to _not_ repeat them!

"Holding a meeting to talk shit about me, I see," Daniella said as she smoothly pulled up. At that, everyone fell silent, so she continued: "You could've just, y'know, asked me shit." She snorted in irritation. "Then again, I'm used to worse. At least you're not calling me a monster an' telling lies about me running around and hunting down helpless diesels." She gave Vee a dirty look. "You could have just called me on that damn announcement system instead of calling literally _everyone else_ here to make speculations about me! Y'know, I'm not here to cause any trouble. I'm _lost_. I just wanna go home!"

"Well…" said Dunbar, "where are you from? None of us have ever seen anything like you."

"I'm from the mainland," Daniella replied, only to get looks of confusion in response. "Y'know…the mainland?" she repeated.

"I'm afraid I don't know where that is," said Chatsworth.

"Maybe be more specific?" Harrison suggested.

"The Other Railway. You know…jeez I guess ya don't," Daniella said, seeing their confounded faces. "I live at Blackwell Scrapyard," she added.

"That poor thing, she lives in a scrapyard!" Koko exclaimed.

"I'm a scrapper, I scrap dead engines," said Daniella.

Upon hearing that, several chuggers backed away from her several feet.

" _Dead_ engines, not living ones!" Daniella said with a sigh. "How do I get outta here?! This place is so happy and cheerful and bright and _icccchhhh_!"

"How very rude!" Chatsworth exclaimed.

"We like it that way here!" Calley said indignantly.

"Well I don't! And I wanna go home!" Daniella snapped, startling them.

"I've never heard of the places which you speak of," said Vee.

"You re—remind me of a—an old legend," said Pete. "There's a—a legend of a r—railway that connects b—between many strange places."

"Pete, with all due respect, this isn't the time or place for one of your old stories," said Dunbar.

"The magic railroad?" Daniella interjected.

"Y—Yes! How'd you know?" said Pete.

"Been there before," Daniella replied. "I heard there's many entrances, but I was on the mainland an' not Sodor…" she trailed off, then sighed. "But I'd crossed an old bridge before I got lost…an' I tried to go back but I thought I must've gone the wrong way…maybe it…oh no…it closed on me!" Her one eye widened. "I'm stuck here!"

"T—The old bridge b—by Old Chuggington? I h—hear that opens o—once every five years," said Pete.

Upon hearing that, Daniella looked utterly horrified. "Five years?! Five. Fucking. YEARS?! Oh god…I'm stuck in this godawful place for FIVE YEARS?!" At that, she let out a shriek of frustration, tinged with despair.

"Oh dear," Vee said, "I'm sure we can all help you feel at home here."

"In this saccharine nightmare of a shithole?!" Daniella groaned.

"Well, I never!" Chatsworth huffed. "Chuggington is not a—a sewage pit!" he said, refusing to use her vulgar choice of words.

"Uggghhhhh…" Daniella groaned.

"You can stay in our sheds tonight," said Wilson.

"Thanks kid, but I'd rather sleep alone." Daniella replied.

"Maybe we can build you your own shed," Brewster suggested.

"Hey, that's a great idea," said Tyne.

"Ooooh, you can make it nice and pretty for her!" said Zephie.

"NO!" Daniella said, and Zephie pouted. "I'd like my own shed…but I like things different. Abandoned, dark and gloomy, morbid, creepy. NOT bright or colorful." At that, she rolled off, sulking.

That night, Daniella found a siding as far away from everyone else as she could. She would sleep there, as there was no way in hell she'd sleep in that _atrocious_ roundhouse. The old line she had chosen seemed peaceful enough; the rails had rusted and many old, half dead trees lined the tracks. However, her peaceful slumber was interrupted by the sound of loud machinery.

"Ugh…goddammit! Keep it down, will ya?! It's six in the damn morning!" Daniella said irritably.

"Sorry to wake you! We chuggineers have to repair this old line," said Zack.

Daniella visibly cringed. "That is the _stupidest_ word I have ever heard in my goddamn life, and I have heard some dumb shit! But _chuggineers_?!"

The aforementioned group looked rather insulted. "Geez, man, that wasn't very nice…" Fletch muttered.

Suddenly, a loud _CRACK_ was heard, following by Brewster shouting, "Zack, look out!"

Zack looked up, seeing a large tree falling. He closed his eyes and braced for impact, but the impact never came. Opening his eyes once more, he saw the tree being held up by the massive claw that was attached to Daniella. With a grunt, she lifted it up a bit before tossing it safely aside.

"Good work!" Tyne exclaimed.

"Phew, that was close…" Brewster sighed in relief.

"I really owe you one," said Zack.

"Don't ever wake me up this early again," Daniella grumbled.

"Consider it done," said Zack.

Word soon spread of how Daniella had saved Zack from getting crushed by a fallen tree, and many of the chuggers had a newfound respect for her. Though she wasn't fond of the cheery atmosphere of the place, Daniella couldn't bring herself to dislike the chuggers themselves. Many of them were very young, and they were all smaller than her. She also couldn't help but notice that they were all well cared for, and the humans there didn't treat them as if they were nothing more than tools to be used.

No, these humans respected the fact that they were alive, and treated them as equals. It was something Daniella desperately wished the humans back home would do.

Brewster and his friends, the chuggineers—a word Daniella still refused to use—had even built her a private shed. They had gone out of their way to make it comfortable for her, even going so far as to paint the exterior black and set up a Victorian style rod iron fence.

As Daniella backed into her shed for the night, she couldn't help but smile. These odd little bouncy engines had treated her with such kindness despite her gruff demeanor.

"Maybe it won't be so bad here," she said as she closed her eyes, "maybe it won't be so bad…"


	3. Chapter 3

As the days went by, Daniella began to adjust to Chuggington quite well. She had even grown to like it. The sentient engines there were treated as equals, and more well cared for than anyone she had ever known back home. Still, she sorely missed her brother, and often wondered if he was alright. She could only hope that the scrapyard engines she once looked out for were still in good hands.

It was around 4 in the morning when Daniella left her shed to go stretch her wheels. Normally, she didn't et up early, but she couldn't sleep at the time. Chuggington was quite peaceful at night, so she was careful not to make any noise that would wake the others up. However, as she passed by the depot, she saw what appeared to be an accident.

In the rolling stock yard, one engine was on top of another, and both of them were wiggling about. Thinking they were struggling and perhaps injured, Daniella moved closer. As she got a better view, she saw that this was no accident. While one engine was certainly on top of another, they most definitely hadn't crashed.

"Ewww…" Daniella shuddered as she looked away. "I didn't need to see _that_."

At that, Daniella quietly crept past, wanting to forget that she had seen Chatsworth taking it up the tailpipe from Harrison. Disgusted, she went to one of the equipment sheds and decided to make herself a sign. Once finished, she took the sign she had made and posted it in the depot where it could easily be seen, before heading back to her own shed.

Later that morning, all the younger chuggers had the day off. Hoot was the first to see the sign: "Look, Toot, a sign!" she said.

"What's it say?" said Toot.

"It says: No public fucking. Use back shed." Said Hoot.

"I still don't know what fuck means," said Toot.

"Daniella said it means bumping, I think," Zephie said as she pulled alongside.

"If that's what fuck means then why aren't we supposed to say it?" said Toot.

"I dunno," said Zephie.

Suddenly, Hoot gasped. "Look, Brewster and Wilson are bumping that car!"

Hoot and Toot went over to the two friends, who were bumping a flatcar back and forth. "Wilson, Brewster, stop that!" Hoot exclaimed.

"You're not supposed to fuck in public! That sign says to do it in the back shed!" said Toot.

"And Daniella said that fucking means bumping!" said Zephie.

"Guys…you know you're not supposed to say the F word…" said Brewster.

"Zephie, look out!" Hodge said as he approached from behind, accidentally bumping her.

"OW! Vee! Hodge fucked me from behind!" Zephie whined.

"Hodge did _what_?!" Vee exclaimed.

"He fucked me from behind, and fucking means bumping! And we're not supposed to do that in public. At least, that's what the sign says." Said Zephie.

"Zephie, sweetie…that's not what that word means! And wherever did you see such a sign?" Vee said incredulously.

"Right over there!" Zephie replied, looking at the sign.

Vee turned and looked herself. "Whoever would have put up a sign like that? I wonder…oh well. Eddie! I need you to come and take down a vulgar sign," she said.

Eddie groaned. "In a moment, Vee. Hodge and I have to deliver these parts up to the fueling station," he said.

A few moments later, Chatsworth and Harrison passed by. Seeing the sign, both of them stopped and backed up to get a better look.

"What a rude sign!" Chatsworth muttered, tutting in disapproval.

"Hmm…well it does say to use the back shed…shall we?" said Harrison.

"Oh you," Chatsworth said as he headed to a nearby storage shed, closely followed by Harrison.

Soon enough, Eddie and Hodge returned, and Wilson, Brewster and Koko were in the rolling stock yard, waiting on Dunbar to come teach them something new.

"Hold on a minute," Dunbar said to them, "I need to get the dumper cars from the storage shed." Poor Dunbar had no idea what he was in for. Expecting nothing out of the ordinary, he went to the storage shed, only to see Harrison and Chatsworth in the midst of a very _private_ act.

"GAH!" Dunbar exclaimed, startling the couple. "Harrison! Chatsworth! What in the—what the—what do you think you're DOING?!"

This caught the attention of Vee and Eddie, who both turned to look at what Dunbar was shouting about. Eddie dropped his tools and stared slack-jawed.

"Harrison! Get off him at once! Before someone sees!" Vee scolded.

"I…um…can't," Harrison said, thoroughly embarrassed.

"Here, I'll just um…" Chatsworth tried to move forward.

" _YYYYYeeeeEEEEEEEEEEOOooOOOoOWWWWWWWWCH!_ " Harrison screamed, and Chatsworth held still. "Ohhhh, something's broken!" he moaned.

"Well, that's what you get for humpin' in the storage shed like that! You broke your willy!" said Dunbar.

Eddie sighed. "I'll go get Morgan…" he muttered.

"Ooh, how humiliating!" Chatsworth muttered.

"You're telling me," Harrison said, wincing in pain.

When Daniella found out about the mishap in the storage shed, she couldn't stop laughing. "He broke his _what_?!" she said between peals of laughter.

"His dingus, Daniella!" Dunbar said, looking irritated. "If it wasn't for that stupid sign, this would've never happened!"

Daniella snickered. "Sorry-!" she said, "Seriously though, I hope he's alright."

"He'll be fine," Morgan said with an irritated sigh. "However, he's gonna need some time to recover. And you shouldn't be putting signs up wherever you want."

"Sorry," Daniella said, trying but failing to suppress her laughter.

"Learn to respect others privacy, will you?!" Chatsworth said as he gave Daniella a dirty look, before nuzzling his injured partner.

"I said I'm sorry!" Daniella retorted. She would have said something else, had she not felt a vibration underneath her wheels. Eddie and Morgan both looked down then around, noticing that the ground was shaking just slightly. Then, as suddenly as it started, the shaking stopped, leaving everyone in a stunned silence.

"That's odd, we've never had earthquakes here," said Vee.


	4. Chapter 4

Daniella awoke to an eerily dark sky. Though it was midday, and there were no clouds up above, the sky was oddly dark and grey, as if the color had been sucked out of it.

"Weird," she murmured as she left her shed. As she looked around, she saw that many odd-looking plants had sprouted up from the ground. They looked like dandelions, but so much about them was just _wrong_. They were oddly twisted and rather large. Even more unsettling was the fact that they seemed to sway and bend on their own volition.

Daniella made her way to the depot, where she addressed Vee. "What in the hell is going on here?" she said.

"I don't know, but I've told everyone to be extra careful as they do their jobs," Vee replied.

Being a scrapper, Daniella was no stranger to a gloomy atmosphere. However, this sudden shift in atmosphere sent chills up and down her chassis.

"Oooh, flowers!"

The innocent, bubbly voice of Zephie snapped Daniella out of her thoughts. Looking over, she saw the little tram leaning over to touch one of the odd-looking weeds with her side door. "Don't touch those!" she snapped, startling Zephie.

"Why not?" Zephie asked.

"Plants shouldn't move on their own. Something about those things just isn't right," said Daniella.

"Are they dangerous?" Zephie asked timidly.

"I don't know. Better safe than sorry though," Daniella replied.

Suddenly, Callie, Wilson, Jackman, and Asher all sped past her, sirens blaring. Figuring she'd better find out what the big emergency is, Daniella followed. They went to an area that had been under construction; a steep hillside in which a new bridge was being installed. There was an old, rickety bridge, which had clearly given way.

Although she was a good distance away, Daniella could see that something was growing on the old wooden frame. "Those damn plants!" she cursed to herself.

"Daniella! We're going to need your help. Come with me to the lower track," said Calley.

Upon following the rescue engine, Daniella saw just what the nature of the emergency was. Lying on his side, with his chassis bent in an unnatural manner, was that same chugger she had once saved from a falling tree. From his position on the ground it was apparent that he had fallen from the broken bridge above. As she moved closer, the severity of the situation became all too clear. Zack had nearly been torn in half; parts had spilled out from a gaping hole in his underside.

"I need your help," Calley said to Daniella. "I can't lift him by myself without…ripping him in half. I need you to hold his back end steady."

Daniella grunted in agreement as Calley positioned herself in front, readying her hook. She gently slid her claw underneath the severely wounded chugger's back end, taking care not to damage him any further. A soft moan let her know he was indeed still alive.

"Ready? Lift!" Calley said, and Daniella lifted as carefully as she possibly could. Zack let out a sharp gasp upon being set down on the flatcar.

"I know it hurts…I know," Daniella said softly. She knew fully well that a broken frame was often a fatal injury, and Zack's injuries went beyond just that.

"You're faster and stronger than any of us. I need you to get him to the repair depot," said Calley.

"On it," Daniella replied grimly. "Hold tight, I'll try to ride smooth," she said as she took off. As she picked up speed, she let out a long blast of her horn. The eerie, mournful wail echoed across the landscape as she sped down the tracks. Despite her initial discomfort, she had grown to _like_ the chuggers. They were so innocent, so childlike. Heck, a lot of them _were_ children.

"Outta my way! Emergency comin' through!" She shouted as she raced across the bridge that overlooked the rolling stock yard, speeding past Emery in the process. "Move it, move it, _move it_!"

Harrison quickly switched tracks as the big warship sped by. Paying him no mind, Daniella quickly made her way to the repair depot, where she blasted her horn to get everyone's attention.

"What is the meaning of—oh dear god…bring him over here," Morgan said upon seeing who Daniella had in tow.

Once the flatcar was shunted into place, Zack was carefully moved onto the rotator, where Morgan took a good look at his injuries. Shaking his head in sadness, he said "I'll do everything I can…but I can't make any promises. I've never seen damage this bad before."

Daniella gave a small smile. Despite the gravity of the situation, she couldn't help but love how these humans truly cared for the sentient machines. Slowly, she extended her claw, letting it hang in front of Zack, who shakily grasped one of the prongs with his coupling. Using the other prongs, she gingerly rubbed his coupling.

"That bridge—" Zack grunted in pain. "It just…gave out…I didn't have time…"

"Accidents happen, Zack." Lori said, gently patting the side of his face.

"Those creepy weeds were growin' on that bridge! I knew those things weren't right!" said Daniella.

"ZACK!" Brewster came rushing in, followed by Tyne and Fletch. "Oh no…oh no…"

"We came as fast as we could," said Tyne.

"Oh man! That looks like it hurts," said Fletch.

"You bet your wheels it does," Zack said with a groan.

"Is he gonna be okay?" Brewster asked, worried for his friend.

"I don't know," Morgan said grimly. "I'm doing everything I can, but it's not looking good for him."

Daniella felt a pang of sadness upon seeing Brewster's mortified expression. She closed her eye and sighed. Brewster didn't deserve to lose a friend, none of them did. She wanted to find out just what had caused these strange events; the gray sky, the "damndelions", as she had decided to call them. However, she couldn't bring herself to leave the repair depot. No, not while there was someone possibly dying. If there was one thing she was good at, it was caring for engines at the end of the line. The rest would have to wait.


	5. Chapter 5

A tense silence hung over the repair depot as Morgan worked tirelessly to stabilize Zack's condition. The only sound was that of tools clacking, along with the occasional groan from Zack.

"Is he gonna be okay?" Brewster's voice broke the silence.

Morgan turned to look at him, then sadly shook his head. "Even if we can save his life, he'll never be useful again," he said.

Both Tyne and Fletch gasped. "Oh no…" Tyne said, looking down.

"Does this mean he's…going to the scrapyard?" Brewster asked hesitantly.

"If he doesn't make it, then yes." Morgan said, looking down. He set his tools down and sat on the ground, putting his head in his hands.

Daniella closed her eye, breathing out heavily. She knew the injured one was in good hands, and there was no need for her to protect him. After all, they wouldn't scrap him unless he ended up dying. "I'll be back, guys," she said, reversing out of the building. Once outside, Daniella began ripping the mysterious plants out of the ground. The damn things had been the cause of Zack's accident, and she was going to destroy every last one of them for harming one of her friends.

Soon enough, Daniella had reached the outskirts of Chuggington, where even more of the godawful things had sprouted up. Growling, she continued pulling them up, determined to rid the place of every single one. The further she traveled, the more of the noxious weeds there were, and the bigger they got. Daniella followed the trail of nasty dandelion-like plants, figuring that she could find the source.

Daniella soon reached a set of points somewhere between Chuggington and Tootington. The disused track to her right seemed to be overgrown with the things, so she followed that one. She crept along the rails slowly, as they were old and rusted. The fact that they were now overgrown with these odd, swaying weeds didn't help either, as she had seen firsthand the kind of damage they could cause.

The old rails led to an abandoned town that was quite reminiscent of Chuggington itself, only everything was outdated, rusted, and decayed. Daniella recalled passing by this very same town before she had found herself in Chuggington.

"This must be where that damn magic portal opened," Daniella murmured.

"I—Indeed it is," a voice spoke. Looking to her left, Daniella saw Old Puffer Pete, who was facing an old roundhouse.

"What're you doin' here?" Daniella asked.

"This i—is Old Chuggington," Pete replied. "I used to live here back in the day." His voice was nostalgic and carried a hint of sorrow.

"What happened here? Why's it abandoned?" Daniella asked, hoping to perhaps get an idea as to what was causing the strange events.

"You want t—to know why O—Old Chuggington was abandoned, eh?" Puffer Pete replied. "Well, it was back in '67…or was it '57? I don't remember…"

Daniella sighed. This was going to be a _long_ story, she could tell.

Puffer Pete continued: "A—Anyway, that magical portal h—had opened up when it wasn't supposed to. K—Kind of like it did for you, Dandelion."

"It's Daniella," the warship corrected him.

"O—Oh, alright Disastrella. Now, where was I?" said Puffer Pete.

Daniella face-clawed herself. This old steam engine was senile! There was no way she'd get any answers from him, she thought.

"A strange chugger had come through that portal—it looked like you in a way," said Puffer Pete.

Now that caught Daniella's attention.

Puffer Pete continued: "It w—was smaller than you, b—but it had a face like yours. Gray and—uh…gray, yes, that's it. He was a sickly thing, the p—poor bugger. We'd tried t—to have him repaired, but nothing anyone did seemed to make any difference. E—Ended up dying, he did. Soon after, other chuggers started g—getting sick a—and dying. These weird p—plants showed up too. We had to pull them all up, it took weeks!"

Pete paused for a moment, collecting his thoughts. "W—We ended up building a new town, t—that's Chuggington, by the way, and leaving this place behind."

Daniella furrowed her brow, mulling this over in her mind. If what this senile old engine said was true, then something must have gone amiss on the magic railroad. With that thought in mind, she headed back to Chuggington.

Back at the repair depot, the severity of the situation at hand had hit Brewster full force. He was sitting in front of Zack, clinging to his coupling, crying his eyes out. "You can't die, you _can't_!" he sobbed. "You have to get better!"

"Oh Brewster, calm yourself," Zack said softly. "I might never completely get better, but I'm not going down without a fight."

"O—Ok," Brewster said with a sniffle.

"As of now You're in charge of the chuggineers," said Zack.

"Me?!" Brewster exclaimed, "but Zack, we need you!" he protested.

"I'm afraid my working days are over," said Zack.

"Don't say that! I don't want you to go…" Brewster sobbed.

"You'll do fine, Brewster. I believe in you," said Zack. "Fletch, Tyne, take care of our boy."

"We will, don't you worry," said Tyne.

"Dammit, this is so sad!" Fletch shouted, only to receive a few startled looks. "I said one of those bad words, didn't I?" he said.

"Oh, thank goodness, he's stabilizing!" Lori exclaimed, looking at one of the monitors in front of her.

Morgan let out a sigh of relief upon hearing that. "We're gonna have to take it slow with these repairs…too much could send him into shock," he said. "As of now, he's got about a 50 percent chance of surviving this."

"Be strong for us, Zack." Tyne said, looking at him with a gleam in her eyes.


	6. Chapter 6

Lady was tending to an area of the magic railroad that had fallen into disrepair; something she had been doing nearly every day since her return to steam years ago. As she switched off of a more brightly lit line onto a darker, disused one, she felt a shiver run through her wheels.

This particular branch of the magic railroad was quite unstable; the portals connecting to this track could open and close without warning; and had a tendency of flickering into existence in unusual places. Many of the trees that lined the tracks had died, and their decaying husks would often drop branches and sometimes even collapse entirely. However, what frightened Lady the most was what she had seen not all that long ago.

A few weeks prior, Lady had been attempting to restore that same area when one of the portals opened in an unusual place. Portals usually remained stable where the tracks ended, but this one had opened far from any termination point. Lady had been approaching a junction when that portal crackled to life, and through it came something that made her boiler run cold.

At first glance, Lady thought it was none other than Diesel 10, and he had somehow stumbled upon one of the unstable portals. However, it quickly became apparent that this was _not_ Diesel 10. No, this engine had been painted black, and though it had a claw attachment, it was different.

Lady had held her breath as the hulking figure passed, rounding the bend and disappearing through the portal at the end of the line.

Remembering that incident, Lady shivered. A gentle pat on her cab caught her attention.

"I don't think that engine is coming back," said Lily.

"Even so, we need to be careful," said Lady.

"Didn't you say that portal had opened where it shouldn't have? I don't think it came here on purpose. You know, maybe…maybe it didn't mean any harm, and just got lost," said Lily. "I know you and grandpa said it looked like Diesel 10 and was really scary, but you can't judge someone by how they look. Besides, I hear Diesel 10 is doing a lot better an he doesn't want to hurt anyone."

"What?" Lady said incredulously.

"Percy's friends with him now, you know." Said Lily. Upon hearing Lady's horrified gasp, she continued: "I talked to him during my last visit to Sodor—"

"You did _what_?!" Lady exclaimed. "That was foolish and dangerous! Poor Burnett would have a heart attack if he found out!"

"You heard me. I talked to Diesel 10." Lily said with a level of nonchalance that made Lady freeze in her tracks. "He said the first time that he chased you, he never wanted to make you crash…he had been hijacked by a very bad man who was driving him and operating his claw without consent. He said he'd felt violated…" the last sentence was spoken softly.

"He's a sick engine, Lady. He's very mentally disturbed and he never got help…people had given up on him and he was due to be scrapped. He can't help it, Lady, he was treated badly, and it broke his mind. He loses control sometimes and does things he regrets…he doesn't mean any harm." Lily said.

"He told you this and you believe him?" Lady said incredulously.

"Yes, I do. He's a mad engine, not a bad engine. I believe him because he's lived on Sodor for years now and hurt no one. If he wanted to, he could have destroyed the entire island!" said Lily.

"You mean to tell me that Sir Topham Hatt _kept_ him?" said Lady.

"He did," Lily said with a grin. "Oh! Sir Topham Hatt said I could have him too. He wasn't happy under his ownership, so I signed the deed—"

"Lily!" Lady interrupted, sounding serious. "You're going to be my caretaker once Burnett passes. You can't do that and also have _him_!"

"Yes, I can!" Lily said obstinately.

"Lillian Tasha Stone!" Lady exclaimed.

"I'm keeping him whether you or grandpa like it or not! And if you make me choose I _will_ choose Diesel 10 because he needs someone to care for him! I'm not a little girl anymore and I can make my own decisions and my mind is made up. He doesn't want to hurt you, he never meant to in the first place, he lost control and he regrets what he did to this day!"

Lady was in a stunned silence. She didn't want to believe what she was hearing. "How can you be sure he's not tricking you?" she said, only to get a sharp slap on her cab side.

"Deal with the magic railroad yourself!" Lily said as she hopped out of Lady's cab and stormed off. "If you wanna find me I'll be at the Vicarstown Dieselworks!"

"Lily, you're putting yourself in danger!" Lady called after her.

"No, I'm not! You need to forgive him. Everyone else has…" Lily continued stomping away, muttering under her breath, "He's also easier to drive and his cab is more comfortable!"

"Ooooh, my! How rude!" Lady exclaimed. Closing her eyes, she took a breath to calm herself. She would deal with Lily later…right now, there were more important matters to attend to. Switching tracks once more, Lady puffed down the line that she had seen the other clawed diesel travel down weeks ago.

As she chugged along, it quickly became apparent that something was terribly wrong. The trees that had once lined the tracks were gone, and had been replaced with monstrous, twisted dandelions that swayed and shimmied in an eerie manner. The portal at the end flickered and crackled with a sinister energy which rendered in impassible.

Lady quickly reversed, switching onto a line that led to the Sodor portal. She needed to find Lily and quickly.


	7. Chapter 7

The normally cheery atmosphere of Chuggington had been replaced by a dismal, gloomy ambience that seemed to encompass everything. The faded, gray sky hadn't returned to normal, nor had the bizarre weeds gone away. However, this merely added to the dismal feeling that seemed to hang in the air.

Inside the repair shed, things weren't looking good for Zack. Much to Morgan's distress, he had taken a turn for the worse. It was quite early in the morning, and Morgan had been up all night tending to him.

Morgan wasn't sure how to tell the others, especially Brewster, who looked up to Zack so much.

Yet Morgan hadn't been expecting Brewster to visit until later in the day. He was surprised when he looked up and saw the familiar face staring back at him. "Brewster, what are you doing here so early?" said Morgan.

"I came to check on Zack," Brewster said quietly.

Morgan sighed, slumping his shoulders. He turned and looked at Zack, who looked utterly miserable. His breaths came in short, hitched gasps, and his eyes were tightly shut.

"Zack…?" Brewster said, gently nudging the broken one's coupling with his own.

Groaning, Zack opened his eyes. "Hey Brewster," he said. "I'm not feeling so great."

"I can see that," Brewster said with a slight ghost of a nervous chuckle.

"Do me a favor, will you?" said Zack.

"Sure thing," Brewster replied.

"Go get Fletch and Tyne," said Zack.

"Ok, will do!" Brewster said as he left.

Once Brewster was out of sight, Zack looked at Morgan. "I don't think I'm gonna last like this," he said, only to see Morgan put his head in his hands. "You did your best, Morgan."

At that, Morgan got up from where he was sitting and walked over to Zack, putting his arms around his front to the best of his ability. After a moment in that position, he spoke: "It won't be the same without you."

Back on Sodor, Lady had made her way to the Vicarstown Dieselworks. Nervously, she looked around the yard before puffing towards the main shed. She was well aware that she was puffing right into Diesel 10's lair, but Lily was in there.

As she entered the main shed, Lady froze in her tracks. There was Diesel 10 up on the raised platform. He was talking animatedly with Lily, who was sitting on one of his buffers. The way Lily would pat his cheek and laugh along with him; clearly, she didn't see him as a monster. As for Diesel 10, he was smiling and laughing. He looked _happy_.

Diesel 10's smile faded into a scowl as he looked in Lady's direction.

"What's the matter— _oh_." Lily said as she spotted her grandfather's engine sitting in the entrance.

"Lily, come here," said Lady.

"Why?" said Lily.

"Just—come here." said Lady.

"Fine," Lily said, before climbing into Diesel 10's cab. Diesel 10 then got onto the turntable and moved towards the entrance. Lady backed up quickly to avoid being in range of his claw.

"Lily, this is urgent!" Lady pleaded.

Lily stuck her head out of the cab window. "Then tell me what's going on," she said.

"I need to talk to _you_ , Lily." Lady said, nervously reversing a few more feet.

Diesel 10 let out a long, irritated sigh. "Just spit it out already!" he snapped, "If I had any intentions of harming you I would have done it already!"

"Eep!" Lady squeaked, flinching.

"Come on, Lady, give him a chance! You forgive everyone else, why not him?!" Lily said rather loudly.

Lady took a breath. She could sense the stubbornness and determination from Lily; and knew that she wouldn't get anywhere unless she at least _tried_ to accept Diesel 10. "Alright," she said, "there's something very wrong with the magic railroad. The portal that engine had gone through is contaminated with a malevolent energy."

"Other engine?" Diesel 10 said, puzzled.

"This isn't your concern—" Lady started.

"There was a strange engine that showed up in the magic railway who looked like you, only black and with a pronged claw," said Lily.

Diesel 10 raised his eyebrows, looking concerned. "That's my sister," he said, sounding worried. "She went missing weeks ago. How in the heck did she get on _your_ magic railroad?!"

"You have a sister?!" Lady spluttered. "Well, I don't know exactly, but that particular area of the magic railroad is in disrepair no thanks to _you_ ," she said pointedly.

Lady had half expected Diesel 10 to snap at her after saying that, but instead, the big warship closed his eyes for a moment, then looked down. The expression on his face was one of deep remorse, guilt, and shame. Even his claw was slumped down. She didn't want to admit it, but he looked rather cute like that. "Anyway," she continued, "the portals in that area tend to spawn randomly. Your…sister…must've gone through one of them, unaware of it."

"Well, bring her back!" Diesel 10 said anxiously.

"I can't," said Lady.

"What do you mean, you bloody well can't?!" Diesel 10 snapped, clanking his claw. Lady gasped in fright and her wheels shook. She expected him to snap that claw right in her face, or perhaps rip her to pieces! However, that never happened. Opening her eyes, she saw Lily rubbing the side of his cab in a soothing manner while saying, "calm down, Diesel 10. Calm down."

"That engine went through another portal and disappeared," Lady explained, "and that particular portal is now impassible. Something is very wrong with it. There's an evil energy there."

"My sister doesn't have anything evil about her, so don't even _think_ about blaming her!" Diesel 10 shouted. "Daniella's the kindest engine I've ever known! Yes, she's a scrapper, but she takes care of the engines in that scrapyard…she comforts them…" Diesel 10 trailed off, leaving Lady with a shocked expression. "Those engines need her," he said sadly.

"Then, we need to find a way to get through that portal," said Lily.

"I may be able to counteract the malevolent energy for a short time, enough to get through to the other side. I need to be able to access it though. That area is overgrown with some hideous plants that I can't get through." said Lady.

"Diesel 10 could probably get through with his claw," said Lily.

"Lilian! Are you actually suggesting-?!" Lady blurted out.

"Yes, I am. Me and 10 could go through to the other side. Maybe the source of the problem originates there." Said Lily.

"Lily, there is no way I am letting you do something so dangerous and risky! Also, there is no way I am allowing Diesel 10 on the magic railroad!" said Lady.

"Then I'll go myself! I'm going to find my sister whether you like it or not!" said Diesel 10.

"You don't even know where the buffers are!" said Lady.

"I've known where they are for years now!" Diesel 10 shot back. "I _told_ you, if I meant you any harm I would have done something already!"

At that, Diesel 10 took off, with Lady giving chase.


	8. Chapter 8

Lady chased after Diesel 10, pumping her pistons as fast as she possibly could. For a tiny tank engine, she was quite fast. She remembered when Diesel 10 had been the one chasing after her; and found it rather odd now that the roles had been reversed.

Upon seeing him go through the buffers, Lady charged through, only to bump into Diesel 10's rear end, as he had come to a stop.

"Oof! Watch it!" Diesel 10 snapped.

"Oh my!" Lady exclaimed.

"Now which way do I go?" Diesel 10 said, looking at the set of points in front of him.

"Back out the way you came!" said Lady.

"I was talking to _Lily_ ," Diesel 10 said pointedly.

"To the right, Diesel 10," said Lily.

" _Oooooooh_!" Lady growled in frustration as she followed them down the line.

Soon enough, they reached the disused line, which was even more overgrown with those gigantic, twisted dandelions.

"Eugh, ever heard of weed killer, Lady?" said Diesel 10.

"Of course, I've heard of—oooooh!" Lady said, letting out another exasperated growl upon hearing him chuckle. She let out another annoyed grunt when a big clump of the nasty weeds landed squarely in her face. "So uncouth!" she exclaimed.

"Is that any way to treat someone who's pulling your weeds for free?" Diesel 10 said with a smirk. "You know, perhaps you shouldn't use so much bullshit to fertilize the soil here. These dandelions have grown out of control."

"Well, I never!" Lady exclaimed, as Lily burst into giggles.

Meanwhile in Chuggington, a heartbreaking scene was unfolding. It had become more than apparent that Zack wasn't going to last much longer, and Tyne, Fletch, and Brewster were by his side, saying their last goodbyes.

As for Daniella, she sat just outside, looking on silently. Brewster was taking this the hardest; the poor youngster was shaking and in tears. "Zack, you can't die, you just can't!" he sobbed.

Daniella looked at him, feeling sorry for the young one. Her gaze shifted to Zack, who seemed to be having trouble keeping his eyes open.

"Brewster…" Zack said weakly, "you're in charge now."

"But—" Brewster started.

"No buts. I know you'll do great," Zack said, smiling slightly. "Tyne, Fletch, take care of him."

"We will, Zack…you can count on it," Tyne said quietly.

"You can count on us," Fletch added.

"Zack, you can't go! Please!" Brewster pleaded.

"I'm sorry, kid…" Zack said with a weak gasp. He shuddered, them stilled.

"Zack? Zack!" Brewster cried, "Zack wake up! Wake up…"

"Ohh…man…" Fletch said, looking down.

"I'm sorry, Brewster…" Morgan said sadly.

"No, _no_!" Brewster cried out, before lowering himself as close to the ground as possible and sobbing hard.

Quietly, Daniella moved forward. She hung her claw over Brewster, lowering it carefully onto him, then pulled it slightly inwards, effectively pulling him into a hug.

Meanwhile, Diesel 10 had made quite a bit of headway through the weeds. With one last tug, he uprooted the clump of tangled, deformed growth that had blocked the way.

"There's the portal! Good job, Diesel 10!" said Lily.

Diesel 10's eyes widened, and he backed up slightly. Directly in front of him was what appeared to be a wall with a very thick, dark, swirling fog obscuring it. Pitch black sparks, like sinister, miniature lightning bolts, crackled within the dark mist. "Daniella went through that?" he said, staring incredulously at the malevolent energy in front of him.

"Yes, but it wasn't like that when she did," Lady replied.

Tentatively, Diesel 10 reached his claw towards the swirling fog. It seemed to go through it like it was nothing, however he quickly withdrew it when he felt a stinging sensation. "I think it still works," he said, shaking his claw a bit.

"Wait," said Lady.

"I don't have time to wait! My sister is in there!" Diesel 10 said as he lurched forward, bracing himself for the sting. However, instead of going through, he was thrown backwards, bumping into Lady harshly.

"Oof! I told you to wait!" Lady exclaimed.

"What the…" Diesel 10 groaned.

Suddenly, the swirling gray fog lifted, and in its place stood an engine. It was an old 4-4-0 tender engine, lacking its tender and completely rusted. Its face had long since rotted off; ghastly holes made up its eyes, mouth, and nose. The decayed engine let out an eerie hissing, moaning sound. Suddenly, the ground began to shake, and small rocks and branches fell from the ceiling.

"Run!" Lady exclaimed.

Diesel 10 didn't need to be told twice, he reversed as fast as he possibly could, pushing Lady along the tracks. He was just in time, as the ceiling collapsed directly in front of him, blocking the tracks with rocks, dirt, and rubble.

"What in the _hell_?!" Diesel 10 exclaimed. "You didn't tell me there would be creepy, undead steam engines on your railway!"

" _That_ ," Lady said, taking a breath, "that wasn't supposed to be here."

"What _was_ that?" said Diesel 10.

"I'm not sure, but it definitely wasn't friendly. Come on, we've got to find another portal that leads to the same place that one did. Whatever that was is probably affecting things on the other side," Lady said shakily.

"What about my sister?!" said Diesel 10.

"We'll find her, hopefully…" said Lady.


	9. Chapter 9

"Attention Chuggington: I regret to inform you; for the first time in over 60 years, one of our own has passed away. Our own Zack has sadly succumbed to the damage he sustained from a fall. You may all take time off from you jobs to grieve…"

Vee's announcement brought everything to a standstill. Nearly everyone had stopped in their tracks, shocked by what had been said.

"Holy shit," Toot muttered.

"How many times do I have to tell you?! Don't say those words!" Dunbar scolded.

"You're in deep shit now, Toot," said Hoot.

"You said shit too!" Toot shot back.

"Stop saying the shit word! You're gonna get us all in deep shit!" said Koko.

"Will you lot stop swearing?! Somebody just fucking died!" Dunbar shouted.

Wilson, Koko, Hoot and Toot all stared at him.

"What?!" said Dunbar.

"You said the fuck word," said Hoot.

"Well, it's hard not to say those words when that blasted scrapper says at least one in every bloody sentence!" Dunbar said, flustered.

Wilson looked at Koko. "We should probably go see Brewster. He must be really sad."

"Good idea, Wilson. Poor Zack…" said Koko.

When the two of them got to the repair shed, they saw Morgan desperately trying to put Zack back together. The poor man was in tears, not ready to give up on the fallen engine. Daniella was holding Brewster, who was hunched as far down as possible on his wheels. The poor little hybrid Deltic was shaking, crying uncontrollably.

"Oh, poor Brewster," Wilson said sadly.

"It's not fair," Brewster said with a sniffle.

"We're here for you," Koko said softly.

"I think he needs some time," Daniella said to them.

Wilson and Koko exchanged glances. "Alright, Brewster. We'll see you around. Remember we're here if you need anything," Wilson said. He and Koko left the shed, heading for the roundhouse.

It was then, another tremor struck. It started as a subtle vibration, then suddenly turned into violent shaking. Morgan, Eddie and Lori dove for cover under a nearby table. Daniella pulled Brewster closer to her and held on tightly.

Outside, a loud snap was heard as Koko and Wilson raced towards the roundhouse.

"Koko _look out_!" Wilson cried.

Koko didn't have time to answer before she was shunted forward. A horrible noise was heard; the sound of metal scraping on metal, combined with Wilson's bloodcurdling scream, which faded into a series of sharp, wheezing gasps.

Lady and Diesel 10 rushed through the unstable parts of the magic railroad when a portal suddenly opened in front of them. Neither could brake in time before going through and emerging through the other side, which had opened several feet above the ground. Both engines were dropped harshly onto the rails below. Thankfully, neither were hurt, but they were now in a strange place.

As suddenly as it had started, the violent shaking stopped. Daniella emerged from the repair shed. Looking around, she saw Wilson, who had a steel girder sticking through his top. Clearly, it had gone entirely through him, pinning him in place. "Oh hell," she said.

"Wilson!" Koko shouted as she saw what had happened to her friend.

"It hurts!" Wilson gasped. "It hurts so bad!"

"Oh no no no…hang in there, kiddo," Daniella said as she looked at his wounds. From what she could tell, it looked like it could possibly be repairable, however the gasping and wheezing certainly wasn't a good sign. "I'm gonna pull this out. It's gonna hurt, but I gotta do it in order to move ya," she said.

Wilson whimpered pitifully as Daniella grasped the girder with her claw. Carefully, she tugged at it, pulling it upwards a few inches. "OW, OW, OW!" Wilson screeched.

"I know, buddy, I know. I'm being as gentle as I can," Daniella said as she continued carefully pulling the girder out. Finally, the other end of it emerged from the hole in Wilson's roof, and Daniella tossed it aside where it landed on the ground with a clank. Looking at Koko, she said: "You're faster and you ride smoother than I do. Get him to the repair shed."

Koko didn't need to be told twice; she coupled to Wilson and pushed him as quickly and carefully as she could. Daniella was about to follow them when she heard a familiar voice shout her name.

" _DANI_!"

Looking up, Daniella saw a familiar ochre diesel rushing towards her, with a little maroon tank engine following closely behind. "Diesel 10?!" she said in surprise.

Diesel 10 braked right in front of her. "Dani, I was worried sick about you!" he said.

"How in the hell did you manage to find me?" said Daniella.

"The magic railroad is unstable," Diesel 10 said, looking at Lady.

"Something terrible is happening to it," Lady said, worried. "an evil engine showed up there—"

Diesel 10 shot her a look so dirty that if looks could kill, she would be dead a dozen times over.

"Not you, Diesel 10!" Lady said, exasperated. "That decayed steam engine that showed up out of nowhere," she looked at Daniella. "Oh, my goodness! You are terrifying!"

"Not as terrifying as that demonic steam engine," Diesel 10 muttered.

"D—Demonic s—steam engine?" Puffer Pete said, having overheard the entire conversation.

"Oh, not you again!" Daniella groaned.

"B—Back in the 50's—or was it the 60's? I don't remember…it was when the p—portal opened in Old Chuggington—"

"I don't have time for your senile ramblings!" Daniella groaned.

"Wait, he might know something," said Lady. "Do go on," she said to Puffer Pete.

"Thank you miss," said Puffer Pete. "Now, where was I?"

"Well, we'll be here for a while," Diesel 10 muttered.

"Oh yes, b—back in Old Chuggington, when the portal opened. There was a t—terrifying engine that showed up. It had no face, j—just a few holes where its eyes and mouth s—should've been," Puffer Pete said.

"That's exactly what we saw!" Diesel 10 exclaimed.

"Shush!" said Lady.

Puffer Pete continued: "That r—rusted steam engine s—said that he'd come back one day, then he left."

"Did he say what for?" said Lady.

Puffer Pete shook himself back and forth. "No," he said. "But it c—couldn't be anything good."

Daniella, Diesel 10, and Lady all exchanged glances. "Perhaps we should find out what it wants," said Diesel 10.

"And if it wants to destroy everyone?" said Lady.

"We rip it to pieces!" said Daniella.


	10. Chapter 10

"It seems like everything's been goin' to shit ever since that damn portal opened up an' spat me out here," Daniella said with a sigh. "I like this place…but we better find a way to set things right before anyone else dies."

"Whatever do you mean?" Lady said, looking quite alarmed.

"Earthquakes. Mutated dandelions everywhere! Random misfortune! Aw, shit…" Daniella closed her eye, and headed towards the repair shed.

"Where are you going?" Diesel 10 said as he and Lady followed her.

"Repair shed. One of the kids got hurt bad," Daniella said bluntly. She soon arrived there, with Diesel 10 and Lady right behind her.

Lady gasped at the sight before her. One engine was partially covered with a sheet, completely lifeless. Three young ones were also there, one of whom was horrifically damaged. Brewster had stopped crying but hadn't moved from the spot he had huddled in earlier. Koko was silent, looking sad and worried. Wilson's side panels had been opened up, revealing the damage done to his inner workings.

"Ow, ow, OWWWWW!" Wilson cried as Morgan worked on him.

"I'm being as gentle as I can, Wilson. You're doing great though," Morgan reassured him.

"I'm scared," Wilson whimpered. "I don't wanna die!"

"Don't say that!" Koko exclaimed. "You won't!"

"I'm doing all I can. I can't guarantee anything," said Morgan.

"NO!" Brewster suddenly shouted. "Not Wilson! We already lost Zack…now he's gone…"

"Aw, kid, you'll see him again. We all will. We all meet at the end of the line," said Daniella.

"He may not have to wait that long," said Lady.

"What?! Are you sayin' he's gonna kick the bucket too?!" Daniella exclaimed.

"No, Daniella. What I mean is he hasn't been gone for long. It may be possible to revive him," said Lady.

"And how are you gonna do _that_?" Diesel 10 scoffed.

"With magic, silly." Lady responded.

Both Daniella and Diesel 10 gave her an incredulous look.

Lady took a breath, puffing a few times. Then, from her funnel, a sparkling, golden mist emanated, which she blew in Zack's direction.

For a moment, no one said a word.

"What in the flying fuckity fuck was that?!" Daniella spluttered. "That was the stupidest thing I have ever…" she trailed off upon seeing Zack's eyelids twitch. "…congratulations. You just created a zombie." She deadpanned.

To everyone's surprise, Zack opened his eyes halfway, groaning a bit. Morgan dropped his tools, staring in shock. Brewster bounced up, smiling broadly. "Zack!" he exclaimed.

"You take it easy," Lady said softly. "You're still badly damaged, but you're going to be alright. I'll make sure of it." She then looked at Wilson. "Both of you will recover," she said.

Before anything else could be said, a loud, booming clap of thunder was heard, and the sky erupted into black, crackling bolts of sinister energy. Up from the ground rose that same rusted steam engine with the rotted off face, hissing fiercely.

" _Wonderful_ ," Daniella said sarcastically, "You pissed off the demon."

The decayed engine's remains of a face warped into an angry expression, and once again, the ground began to tremble.

"Oh, hell no!" Daniella said as she recklessly charged at it. "I _won't_ let you hurt anyone else!"

"Daniella! Stop!" Diesel 10 shouted, but Daniella paid no mind. She rammed headfirst into the hideous engine, knocking it slightly off track. The tremors stopped. "Who the hell are you and why in the hell are you doing this?!" Daniella demanded.

"None of your concern, Reaper," the engine hissed.

"It is now," Daniella growled.

"You never could accept your place as an engine. Always sticking your claw where it doesn't belong! Keep it out if this, or else you'll pay dearly." The engine warned.

"I just wanna know who you are and why you're causing all these disasters!" said Daniella.

"I don't even remember who I am!" the engine snapped. "Your kind made me like this! Driven to the scrapyards with my brethren, cut to pieces! And Lady, making peace with diesels! I won't rest until all of you suffer the same fate I did! Along with every steam engine who sides with you!"

"W—What?!" Puffer Pete exclaimed. "S—Scrapping is only done a—after someone dies. We've never s—scrapped engines just to r—replace them!"

"My quarrel isn't with you or the chuggers," the decayed engine said. "What happened here was collateral damage."

"What are you on about?" Diesel 10 said.

"Yeah, you just said you wanted every diesel to suffer the same fate you did!" said Daniella.

"Not every diesel," the engine hissed. "Every warship class."

"What do you have against us?!" Daniella exclaimed.

"Your kind caused my railway to fall! You took us to scrapyards! You murdered us!" the engine shouted.

"I didn't murder shit! An' neither did Diesel 10! You're fuckin' crazy!" Daniella spat.

At that, the decayed engine let out an ungodly shriek, lifting from the ground.

"You need to calm down!" Daniella shouted. "I don't know who you are, or what made you into what you are now, but you might remember who you were if you let go of all this hatred! We didn't cause your downfall, the humans in charge did!"

"Dani, get back!" Diesel 10 pleaded.

"No, Diesel 10, look!" Lady said, seeing that the old steam engine had lowered itself back down.

"No one can change the past, and tryin' to kill off me an' my brother isn't doing you any good. We never harmed you. You need to let go," said Daniella.

"I can't! I have nothing left to hold on to!" the engine shrieked.

"Not here, you don't. But your siblings and friends are all probably waiting for you at the end of the line. Go to them," said Daniella.

"How can I if I don't even remember who I was?!" the engine hissed.

"You will if you let go," said Daniella.

"What if I don't?" the engine said, this time in a calmer voice.

"Then you'll at least be at peace. Don't be afraid," Daniella said softly. She reached her claw out, touching its rusted boiler, rubbing it carefully. As she gently stroked the decayed engine's boiler, the skies regained their color, and the mutated monstrosities wilted and sank back into the ground. The rusted steam engine crumbled to dust, and in its place stood a ghostly tender engine, who wept in regret.

"There," Daniella said softly. "It's alright now. Go on, be free now."

"Thank you," the ghostly engine said, before turning into a wisp of energy and shooting off into the sky.

"What…just happened?" said Diesel 10.

"Donatello just saved us all!" said Puffer Pete.

"Three cheers for Daniella!" said Koko.

"Oh, please no—" said Daniella.

"Hip, hip, hooray!" the chuggers cheered.

"Oh, goddammit!" Daniella said, flushing red. Still, she couldn't help but smile a bit. After all, it seemed like everything was going to be alright now.


End file.
